Socio-demographic and immunological profile of HIV patients attending ART clinic in a tertiary care hospital in North India

Arun Kumar Jha*, Sanjim Chadha, Beena Uppal, Preena Bhalla, Jugal Kishore and Richa Dewan

Background: The epidemiology of HIV should be understood especially with regard to various socio-demographic factors because the most effective approaches for its prevention and control are awareness and life style changes.

Aim: This study was undertaken to determine the socio-demographic characteristics and immunological profile of HIV seropositive patients attending the antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic of Lok Nayak hospital in New Delhi, India.Methods: Two hundred and fifty two, HIV seropositive subjects were enrolled in the study irrespective of their ART status. Subjects were staged as per the World Health Organization (WHO) staging system and the socio-demographic data and clinical signs and symptoms were recorded for all subjects on a predesigned performa. CD4+ T lymphocyte count was determined by the Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorting (FACSCount TM) system.

Results: Mean age of study subjects was 33.6 years ± 8.3 years, 66.3% were males,73.4% were married, 27.7% were illiterate. 32.9 % of subjects were employed in unskilled and semiskilled occupations. Majority of patients belonged to upper lower social class as per the modified Kuppuswamy’s scale. 72.2% had acquired infection through the heterosexual route. 66.3% of the cases were in WHO clinical stage I & II of illness at the time of registration. The median CD4+ T lymphocyte count for all patients was 279 Cells/μl.

Conclusions: Literacy status, occupation, socio-economic status and place of residence were the socio-demographic determinants found to be associated with HIV positivity. The commonest mode of acquiring infection was heterosexual contact.Science has responded to the challenge of AIDS by rapidly

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Published on: Jun 18, 2014 Pages: 7-10

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/2455-3786.000002
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